a + a in bed-stooey

A + A were my first house guests at Gates + Throop. Two socially-minded lawyers from New Zealand and Colombia by way of Boston were in town for the New York Film Festival and stayed with me from Friday through Monday (Oct 7-10). We had dinner together on Friday at Peaches HotHouse and breakfast the following morning; other than those encounters and a phone call on Sunday afternoon, all communication was by text or handwritten note:

FRIDAY

Hi Todd getting on train in 5 mins

Cool

Be there shortly

SATURDAY

[handwritten]A + A, I might stay @ Greg’s tonite… if so, I’ll see you in the morning sometime, Todd – P.S. help yourself to food

Hey Todd we are at the ballet and heading home soon! We just realized we dont have your address or apt number to get back!!!

{address}

Thanks!!

SUNDAY

[handwritten] Dear Todd, We are meeting a friend for brunch and then off to walk around the city. We’ll be coming home rather late as our movie starts at 9pm. If you guys are still thinking about dancing we are definitely interested! Let’s stay in touch. A + A.

What time is your film over tonite? Once I know that, I’ll suggest a dance plan

Todd we are EXHAUSTED! its been a day of walking, dying of heat and experiencing sensory overloads. We dont think we have it in us to converse, let alone dance. Enjoy without us (if you can)!

All talk .. No play

MONDAY

[handwritten] We are heading out to get started with our last day of NY extravaganza. We tried to be silent as we knew you had been up until late. Otherwise we would have preferred to give you a proper hug and thank you for bearing with us! Come visit us sometime in Cambridge. Love, A & A.

==

A+A: You were here for one of the best known film festivals in the world. Gates + Throop is an hour away from the festival venue in Bed-Stuy with the C train and then a ten minute walk. Can you say if you found staying in a neighborhood so far away useful? Was it germane to the goal of your trip or mere happenstance of a friend living in a place in proximity to another place? Was it different from what you read about Bed-Stuy on wikipedia? Was there even time to tell?

We were brought to NYC for the new york film festival, and although bed-stuy is a not exactly a stone’s throw from the geographic venue of the nyff, it provided exactly the counter-weight we needed to tolerate three days of immersion in the lincoln center. although perhaps not polar opposites, being able to occupy these differing spaces each day meant an unusual duality of discovery: on the one hand, becoming familiar with the layout of Alice Tully Hull such that optimal seats for toilet and stage access could be found, on the other, becoming cognizant of which street corners seemed to offer the best balance of vibrance and safety for two women wandering home in the early hours (although, in the end, opting for taxis from the subway station two out of three nights for fear we hadn’t struck the balance right).

our conception of bed-stuy prior was basically non-existant, although wikipedia made it sound like some kind of fading / retired rap star heaven. sadly, it didn’t seem that way to us.

PS The 27 days it took us to respond represent the score out of 30 that we would give the map room. Pretty good.

PPS despite possible inferences, chocolate mice gift was not a coded reference to the cleanliness of your beautiful apartment or bed-stuy itself. rather, they are the only darlings of the cambridge chocolate scene worth sending by mail.

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